Method of cleaning filters.



PATENTED NOV. l2, 1907.

G. M. KNEUPER.

METHOD 0E CLEANING FILTERS.

APPLIOATION FILED .TUNE l. 1906.

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A TTOHNE YS No. 870,727. PATBNTBD Nov. 12, 1907.

G. M. KNEUPER. METHOD 0F CLEANING FILTERS.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 1. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEYS i. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE MQKNEUPER, or

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To all whom 'it mayI concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. KNEUPER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvey meute in Methods of Cleaning Filters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has' for its object the removal of sediments, slimes or deposits which are liable to clog up filters and render ther inoperative. ln orderto loosen and carry away said impurities or obstructions, I se'nd through the filter a current of water or other fluid varying in strength soas to .subject the filter to a shaking' actionas it were.

The particular manner in which l prefer to carry out my invention will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, and the novel features -bodies `certain inventions or improvements of mine forming the subject matter of another application for Y sage B of thebottom member. The said passage is` patenty filed concurrently herewith Serial No. 319674.

A isa cylindrical shell screwed at the bottom into a lbottofn member B from which rises at the center the perioratedpipe C which communicates with the pasi closcdat'one end by a screw plug D which can be removed when it is desired to clean said passage, and at i the other end is locatedan axially perforated screw E connectedby means oi a clamping nut F with one end of avalve casing G. At G this valve casing is con' nected with a supply pipe such as the watermain,

and atGz'with a pipe H leading to the inlet H" at the upper end ef the eheu A. At the1ewer end ef the epparatiis'is located an outlet B2 controlled by a 'valve l which may be rotated by means of a crank I. The

upper end of the casing is also provided with a suit-` able outlet such as a Vcommon` faucet J.

The upper end.` of the pipe C is screw-threaded and receives a nut K which is adapted to press down a ltop -plate L arranged to clamp from above the filtering' material M and a layer of wire netting N which is wrapped around said filtering material. The filtering material may be a sheet of pulp o r cotton or any suitable substance. When a sheet is used it is wrapped on a. perforated tube O, the ends of the sheet being bent' inward over the edges of said tube Aso that a tight joint willfbe formed. The nut rK is provided with s,

specification ef Lettere rement.

Application filed .Tune l. 1906. Serial No. 819.678.

-it will connect said supply Patented Nov.' 12, 1907.

handle K to facilitate its manipulation,l and is also provided with a longitudinal channel K2 which communicates withtheoutlet of va receptacle or cup P screwed upon the upper end of the nut', and having a cock Q controlling the communication of said cup with the channel K". The lower end of the cup also serves as a clamp to press downA a ca p R pressing do'wn on a washer R located at the upper edge `of the shell A. iln order to space the layer N of wire netting, or. other perforated material from the inner wall of the NEW YoRK, N. Y., AssrGNoR or oNEJrHIRD- To GEORGE KNEUPER AND'oNE-THIRD To KATE KNEUPER.

filter casing, longitudinal ribs N are provided on the outside of said layer in engagement with the in ner wall of the shell A.

The connection of the supply pipe G with either the pipe H or the passage B in the bottom of the lter is controlled by a three-way cock S which in one position, as shown in Fig. 3, disconnects the supply pipe from the filter, while in its second position it will connect said supply pipe with the pipe H, and imite-third position sage B.

- In the normal operation of the filter, the cock Q will be closed, as will also the valvev I. The three-way cock pipe with the bottom pas- S will be turned to connect the supply pipe G with th bottom passage B.v The water or other liquid to be filtered will travel upward into the pipe C, and travel through the perorations thereof and through the pipe O to the filtering material M, after passing through which the altered liquid win ieeue through the euuet J when. thel same is opened. It will be obvious that the depos its due to filtration will form chiefly on the inner surface of the filtering material M. Now in order to dislodge these deposits I send a pulsating current through the filter, that is a` current varying in strength, and inthe particular embodiment of my inventionshown herein the force of the' current varies from a maximum to naught, although this is not absolutely necessary.

i To accomplish this result the faucet J will be closed and the three-way cock S so turned as to connect the supply pipe G with the pipe H. Water will then flow through the filterv in the opposite direction, and of course pure water ehouldbe used for this cleaning op, eration. 1i now the outlet cock I should be opened, the sediments wouldbe part] y washed out through the opening, but very soon the liquid will become clear showing that the water passes through the filter without any cleaning actionf, li thn,'however, the'crank I is revolved so as to alternately open and close the out-y todv let, and thus produce a pulsating and specifically an in#v termittent current, it will be observed that the, stream of water which hitherto was quite clear becomes tuibid again, thus clearly showing that the pulsating action of the current has much greater efficiency to4 clean the filter than the mere reversed flow of the liquid.

I have found thatgit isfmost efficient to produce the" pulsation by periodically obstructing the outlet, eitherAY partly or entirely, as in this case the back pressure created by the closing or obstructing of the outlet has a beneficial action by producing what is known as a hammer-blow7 that is a shock which tends to loosen the particles oi sediment.

The cup P is used 'for introducing into the central space ofthe filter a powdered substance or other matter 'before ltrationy and then. when the substance to be tiltered is turned on, the powdered substance will be thrown and deposited on the inner surface of the tiltering material M thus producing a filtering surface of increased ei'ciency. This featiire oi my invention` which is not claimed herein. is more fully described in the companion application hereinbefore referred to. The hereinbeore described pulsating current may also be employed for the removing of lthis additional filtering substance from the filtering material M when it is no longer desired to use this filtering substance, and I desire it to be understood that the term cleaning as used in the appended claims, is to be interpreted as including such removal of an additional filtering substance.

The screw plug D may be taken out when it is desired to filter-a iiuid'other than the water from the mains; such Huid ,would then be admitted through the opening normally closed by the plug D, the cock S remaining closed. Otherwise the operation will be the same as above described.

I claim: l

1. The method of cleaning filters, which consistsin sending therethrough a current of a washing liqul" in the direction opposite to that in which the filtration was effected, and periodically obstructing the outlet to give said current a pulsating action.

2. The method of cleaning filters, which consists in sending therethrough a current of a washing liquid in the direction opposite tov that in which the ltration was effected, und alternately opening and closing the outlet to give said current an intermittent action.

In testimony whereofy I have hereunto signed my name ln the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE Mh KNEUPER.

Witnesses .form LoTKA, .loriN A. KEHLENBECK. 

